Tag: business standard

News: The government has recently announced eligibility conditions for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). There is a noticeable difference between the CDS the government wanted in 2019 and what it seems to want today. It is disconcerting that the government has modified the eligibility criteria for appointment as CDS so early in… Continue reading CDS: Unsettled questions

News: The government is poised to launch 75 digital banks soon. What will be launched are Digital Banking Units (DBUs). These are a new way of making available digital products of existing banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). If one thinks that a sleek set of new banks is going to challenge traditional banks, one… Continue reading Fintech challenge is a fantasy

News: In 2022, international trade is being impacted by a continuing global pandemic, a European war, widespread economic sanctions, supply chains disruptions and sudden national bans and caps on exports of essential commodities. Global Trade The World Trade Organization (WTO) estimates that global goods trade has expanded by about 40 times (in terms of volume)… Continue reading International trade remains important

News: About 60 countries, including India and China, have pushed for a joint proposal for consideration of several WTO rules. The proposal was pushed at the upcoming 12th ministerial summit of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The proposal has been moved to solve some of the contentious issues linked to, food stockholding, agricultural subsidies, international… Continue reading WTO rules on foodgrains must be updated

News: In late April, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram angrily ordered its officials to find out who dumped “malba” — the Hindi word for Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) on either side of the Gurugram-Faridabad road. Frameworks to tackle C&DW already exist. Implementation needs to be improved. Contents1 What are the causes behind C&DW?2 What… Continue reading Urban mining

News: Inflation is a macroeconomic phenomenon which is under pressure at global and local level. Contents1 Major driving factors behind inflation2 Globally3 Local drivers of inflation:4 What are the issues in fiscal and monetary policy measures? Major driving factors behind inflation Inflation is caused by a number of factors which may includ supply, demand, local… Continue reading The inflation spectrometer

Context: How did the web cookie become the bone of contention in the battle for privacy? What is a web cookie? A cookie is a little piece of text stored on one’s web browser. It can identify what sites one has visited, to which sites one goes too often, or even, under some circumstances, the… Continue reading Say no to cookies from strangers

News: Recently, a 20-minute thunderstorm in Delhi uprooted many trees, some of them between 40 and 50 years old, throwing the city out of gear for hours. This chaos, caused due to poor urban planning, has become a pattern whenever a pre-monsoon storm, with high-velocity winds, hits the city. Delhi High Court has taken note… Continue reading Unnatural urbanisation

Context: Cert-In recently issued a new directive making it mandatory for VPN service providers to keep user data for at least five years and share records with authorities when required. This new regulation threatens free speech and privacy. Contents1 What is a VPN?2 What are the different use cases of VPNs?3 How does a VPN… Continue reading Veiled threats to privacy

News: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Indian Army are assessing procurement of another 100-200 mobile SP howitzers. The additional 200 guns would equip 10 medium artillery regiments. Historical trends (1) Medieval Times In 1526, Babur defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi and won the First Battle of Panipat. Babur was able to… Continue reading Evaluating the arsenal